As a cancer caregiver, you face unique challenges. The loved one you're nurturing often requires your time, energy and attention, making it hard to focus on your health and wellness.

But an unhealthy caregiver could do more harm than good. Your loved one needs you to stay in fighting shape, so you can provide the care he or she needs. Plus, maintaining a healthy diet and weight helps lower your cancer risks.

Not sure where to start?

"Research shows that making small changes can lead to bigger diet changes over time and better health," says Mary Ellen Herndon, a wellness dietitian at MD Anderson.

Try these smart food tips to maintain good health.

Dine out less"Restaurant foods are usually loaded with extra fat, salt and calories," Herndon says. "Eating out or getting takeout even just a few times a week can cause weight gain over time."

My mom was first
diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007, just four years after she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

This year her breast cancer returned. When I heard the news, I kept thinking, why her? Why is this happening again to the person least deserving of this? I thought we had said goodbye to cancer, but I guess God had other plans.

Yet, despite being a bit shocked, I was surprisingly calm about the news. I knew that my job as a nurse here at MD Anderson was not just to help my patients, but also to help my family.

An inspiring first experience with MD Anderson

I haven't always been a nurse at MD Anderson. In fact, it was my sister's breast cancer diagnosis that led me to MD Anderson, first as a caregiver and now as a nurse.

When my mom started her chemo
treatments at MD Anderson, I had no idea that she and I would completely
switch roles.

All through my teen years, struggling with puberty, high
school, softball practice, boyfriends, etc., Mom was there. She taught me to
keep fighting, and many times she just told me to "suck it up." So,
when her journey with melanoma
started, I was there for her, pushing her, and yes, sometimes telling her to
"suck it up."

I became Mom's main caregiver, while my dad, her husband
of 38 years, tended to my mentally handicapped older brother, David. I traveled
with Mom to MD Anderson from our homes in Louisiana, and Dad was always there
for her when she returned home from melanoma treatment. He became the main cook
and maid at the house, and he loved every minute of doting on the love of his
life, while I checked in on them throughout the day.

Being able to return home in between melanoma treatments
made all the difference in the world to Mom. It lifted her spirits, allowed
family and friends to visit, and gave her the ability to be close to the ones
she loved most.

But many of my memories from that period are from the
ones Mom and I made during our trips to MD Anderson.

Creating memories while caring for Mom

During one of her hospital stays, doctors told Mom to
walk around the nurses' station each day to stay mobile. I knew if I were the
one lying in that hospital bed, Mom would have pushed me to get up and walk. So,
that is what I did for her. Yes, Mom complained a little, and sometimes I let
her skip the walk, but we walked a lot.

When caring for a loved one, your health and wellness may often take a backseat. All your time and energy is devoted to nurturing your friend
or family member. You grab fast food at the hospital or skip meals entirely to
stay by his or her side.

But as a caregiver, it's essential you stay healthy so you
can better care for your loved one. In addition, you'll be in better shape to
fight off diseases like cancer.

"Research shows that making small changes can lead to bigger
diet changes over time and better health," says Mary Ellen Herndon, a wellness
dietician at MD Anderson.

I have watched several friends and, now, a mother and two
sisters at or near death from lung
cancer. When my sister passed away this summer, I became a lung
cancer patient caring for another lung cancer patient.

New questions surface when a cancer patient takes care of
another cancer patient. During my sister's final phase, the big question for me
was, "Am I looking in the mirror?" Would I go through what she was going
through?

Approaching my
sister, a fellow lung cancer patient

I never avoided my sister because of this fear of looking
into the mirror, but I did have to redirect this distraction to make it through
the really tough days without affecting my own recovery.

I simply trusted in an approach my father suggested before I
went in to say goodbye to my dying mother several years ago.

I asked myself: How would I want to be treated? How would I
want her to look at me? How can I make it a little better? How can I be
sympathetic but encouraging?

It helps if you believe in miracles. You should. I do. They
happen. I am proof.

I come from a huge extended family. My mother is the second youngest of 10 and beyond that, I have 30 first cousins, 20 second cousins and 30 third cousins -- all family members just on my mother's side.

When one of the top 10 gets sick, it's like playing the telephone game with a bunch of children. Interesting twists to stories, odd facts and the 'he said/she said' make it hard to nail down pertinent information.

Back in 1993, my mom was diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma. I can't imagine the stress it put on my dad when he had to call each of my mother's siblings.

Having to tell multiple people the same news over and over again is tiring and stressful. Having to tell multiple family members that you have cancer is just depressing.

CarePages: an easier way to share cancer updates

Recently, my mom was diagnosed with skin cancer again, but this time, my family is having a much easier time sharing updates. That's because my parents are able to share information with friends and family through a site called CarePages.

I was a primary caregiver to my oldest sister, who died many years before I received my lung cancer diagnosis.

Unfortunately, my second of two sisters to die of lung cancer said goodbye on June 13, 2013. Goodbye, sis. Love you. I am tired of this stuff.

Secrets of a cancer patient caring for a cancer patientI have two really vivid and distinct cancer memories. Together, they helped me confront my second sister's lung cancer.

On how to be a cancer caregiver, I recall my father asking me how I wanted my mother to remember me just before I stepped into her ICU room to say goodbye. It was gently instructive and made me gather my courage and put a loving and peaceful look on my face as I approached my dear mother for the last time.

It has given me peace many times that she saw me filled with love for her and positive in my countenance to the end.

Whether you're traveling one mile or 1,000 miles to get here, packing for your first visit to MD Anderson can be a little daunting. After all, you've got a million other things on your mind, and you're not sure exactly what to expect when you get here.

So, we asked several veteran cancer patients and caregivers what's on their must-bring list. We hope their answers -- shared below -- will help making packing for your first visit a little easier.

1. Patience and calming distractions

A lot of patience. Families are under a lot of stress when they come to MD Anderson, but it's important to understand that you may have to wait a while before seeing the doctor or getting your scans. Bring a book or headphones or something that will help calm you during the wait.

Early in my cancer journey, my wife Sarah made an interesting observation. "You know what it's like to be a cancer patient," she said. "But you don't know what it's like to have afamily member who's a cancer patient."

She was absolutely right. I had an idea of what my family was feeling, but I didn't really know how they felt. I wasn't the one who had a family member with cancer.

I knew how to be a cancer patient, but not how to be a supporter or caregiver for someone with cancer.

From that point on, and especially after coming to MD Anderson, I've spent a lot of time thinking about cancer's impact on the people who love them.

As patients, we have resources to help us deal with the physical and emotional toll of cancer. But what about our family members, friends and caregivers? What's available to make their journey easier?

It seems that something about cancer affects our filters/manners/politeness, and in an effort to say the right thing, we say exactly the most awkward, wrong thing. I, myself, have been guilty of not knowing what to say or saying the wrong things.

I've perused the web for intelligent advice on what to say or not to say to someone with a terminal cancer diagnosis.

My husband, Francis, has terminal stage IV colon cancer, so I have some experience under my belt as well.

However, things are about to change. My mother, who's my best friend in the world, has been diagnosed with stage III breast cancer.

Cancer runs in my familyThere's an abundance
of cancer in my family; almost all my relatives have had at least one
form of cancer. Even my mother is a 19-year breast cancer survivor, as
well as a bladder cancer and basal cell survivor.

I thought her bout with cancer was over, but I should've known better.
You always have to be on guard against the ugly beast, cancer.

After a long and successful career in broadcast journalism in Houston, North Texas and Oklahoma, Judy Overton joined MD Anderson in 2008 as a senior communications specialist. Her husband, Tom, was treated at MD Anderson for renal cancer. He died in April 2007. Judy's occasional posts will cover aspects of the cancer experience from the caregiver's perspective. Read more posts in this series

I didn't think much about being a caregiver until I wasn't one anymore. It isn't something in which you test the waters. You are simply thrust into the situation as I was almost eight years ago.

Family and support groups can ease the abrupt transition, says Djuana Fomby, a social work counselor at MD Anderson. Fomby facilitates a caregivers' only support group every Tuesday, 12:30-1:30 p.m., at the Rotary House in the patient guest relations room on the MD Anderson campus.

Care4Caregivers is an opportunity for those supporting cancer patients to speak openly and honestly about their experiences. Fomby says the needs of a caregiver differ based on the stage of their loved one's cancer experience. Master the system In the first six months of diagnosis, the caregiver is in a state of shock.

"While they want information, they're overwhelmed," Fomby says. "Their feelings are fragile and their anxiety level is high-pitched. They don't have an understanding of what being a caregiver is going to mean. They're thinking strictly, 'Save my loved one's life.'"

Once someone has been a caregiver for three or more years, Fomby says, "They're calmer. They come to the realization the cancer will be there, the financial challenges will be there. They settle in to a new normal."

National Family Caregivers Month is here, and I want to start by thanking all of the caregivers reading this for your help in Making Cancer History. Without the numerous hours of care and support you give your loved ones -- our patients -- it would be much more difficult for MD Anderson to provide the quality of care that we do.

Caregivers of cancer patients may face several challenges while caring for a loved one.

Emotional distress and learning to cope with the patient's cancer is the most commonly identified stressor for caregivers. Not only are the actual tasks of providing care taxing, but having to see the person you truly care for suffer can make caregiving even more challenging.

Helpful strategies for the caregiverWhile your job can be difficult, caregivers may find the following strategies helpful throughout their loved one's cancer experience.

By Gasper MirGasper Mir met his wife, Marisa,
more than two decades ago at The University of Texas, Austin. Two
years after they married, she was diagnosed with colon cancer. With Gasper by her
side, Marisa has been cancer free for nine years. Gasper hopes his story
will encourage and inspire fellow caregivers.

Being a caregiver for a loved one is the most difficult, emotionally draining, frustrating, but enriching, experience.

For
me, there was never a choice. My wife was diagnosed with cancer and so I
became her caregiver. It was what she needed and I knew that to get
through it, I would have to swallow my fears and anxieties about what
was to come. I had to be as strong as could be for her. Tough to remain positiveIn those first few months after her diagnosis, it was tough to remain positive as her body went through the painful rounds of chemotherapy and radiation.
It was heart wrenching to watch her face the prospect of losing her
battle, and to know that I could not assure her of a happy ending.

So
I did what I had to do. I was by her side as she went through her
treatments and doctors visits, remaining positive and supportive as we
made life changing decisions, sometimes in the blink of an eye, hoping
they were the right ones.